Houses set on piers have a dry, shaded space under the floor. Lattice skirting slows people down but not rats. Once they live under the house, they chew up through pipe holes and floor gaps. Sealing the skirt with hardware cloth and closing floor openings is the main fix.
Key West and Monroe County
Rodent Control and Rat Removal in Key West, FL
Roof rats in Key West live in the palms, travel the porch rails and slip into the open space under conch houses raised on piers. We find how they get in, seal it with metal, trap the rats already inside and come back until the activity stops.
Key West in one paragraph
On an island 4 miles long with no frost, roof rats never get a slow season. The fix is the same every time: close the openings, then trap.
Key West is the county seat of Monroe County and the end of U.S. 1. The island has a tropical climate, palms and fruit trees in many yards, and old wood homes close together. That gives roof rats food, shelter and a short trip from one roof to the next.
Our rodent control in Key West starts with a full look at the roof, the porch, the space under the floor and the trees around the house. You get photos of every entry point and a written plan and price. Nothing starts until you approve it.
- City
- Key West, county seat of Monroe County
- Population
- 26,444 (2020 census)
- Island size
- About 4 miles long and 1 mile wide
- Climate
- Tropical, lowest temperature on record 41°F
- Main rodent
- Roof rat (Rattus rattus) in palms, attics and under floors
- Also seen
- Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) near docks and dumpsters, house mice (Mus musculus) in kitchens
- Call
- (561) 562-7607, 24/7
Source: U.S. Census 2020 and Wikipedia, Key West, Florida.
The conch house problem
A House on Piers Has a Second Floor for Rats, Underneath
Old Town conch houses are wood frame homes of 1 to 2 and a half stories, set on piers about 3 feet above the ground, with peaked metal roofs, wood siding and lattice under the floor. Built for breezes and floods, they also leave rats more ways in than a block home in New Town.
Below
Lattice skirts
Wood lattice between the piers looks closed but has gaps rats walk through. Behind it is a dark, dry space where they nest and chew up into the floor.
Floor
Pipe and wire holes
Plumbing, drain lines and AC lines come up through the wood floor. The holes around them are often cut big and never sealed.
Walls
Siding and sill gaps
Horizontal wood siding shrinks and warps in salt air. Rats use loose boards and rotted sills to get into the wall cavity.
Porch
Rails, posts and eaves
Full width porches with posts and gingerbread trim are a ladder. Rats climb them to reach the porch ceiling and the eaves above.
Roof
Metal roof edges
Where the ribs of a metal roof meet the fascia and ridge, the open ends and bent flashing leave gaps into the attic.
Old work
Years of patches
Many Old Town buildings date from 1886 to 1912. A century of repairs, add-ons and new AC runs leaves gaps nobody remembers making.
Source: Wikipedia, Key West, Florida (Old Town and conch architecture). Entry points listed are what we check on raised wood homes.
Life at the end of U.S. 1
Why Island Living Changes How Rats Spread
Key West is a small, dense island. Rats do not need to travel far, and a colony in one yard is a colony on the whole block. These numbers explain why sealing just one house on a shared lot line rarely holds alone.
150yd
Rat travel range
Roof rats go up to about 150 yards from the nest for food and water. On narrow Old Town lanes that covers many homes.
4-5
Litters a year
Roof rats breed all year in Florida, with 5 to 8 pups a litter.
3ft
Under the floor
The usual height of conch house piers, a crawl space rats can live in for months unseen.
130mi
To Miami
Key West sits about 130 miles from Miami by the Overseas Highway, so we plan each visit with the sealing materials already on the truck.
Source: UF/IFAS Extension, Roof Rats publication UW120; Wikipedia, Key West, Florida.
Old Town to New Town
Key West Neighborhoods and Their Rat Hot Spots
The western half of the island is old wood homes and guest houses. The eastern half, New Town, was built on filled salt ponds in the late 1950s. Rats get into each in different places.
| Area | What is built there | Where we usually find rats |
|---|---|---|
| Old Town, around Duval and Whitehead Streets | Conch houses, guest houses, inns and shops packed close together | Under the floor behind lattice, in porch ceilings and attics under metal roofs |
| Bahama Village | Older wood homes and churches tied to the area’s Afro-Bahamian history | Crawl spaces, sheds, fruit trees and palms leaning over the roof |
| Casa Marina and the Atlantic side near Higgs Beach | Homes around the 1921 Casa Marina Hotel, near the beach | Palm frond skirts, pool equipment areas and attics reached from trees |
| Truman Annex | Former Navy land, now private homes, next to Fort Zachary Taylor | Shared walls, utility chases and garage areas in attached units |
| New Town, near Key West International Airport | Block homes, shopping centers, schools and apartments | House mice in garages and kitchens, Norway rats near dumpsters |
| Key West Bight and Garrison Bight | Marinas, docks and waterfront businesses | Norway rats around docks, boat storage and stacked gear |
Neighborhood descriptions from Wikipedia, Key West, Florida. Rodent notes are based on the types of buildings in each area; every property gets a full inspection.
Services available in Key West
Rat and Mouse Removal Services in Key West
Most Key West jobs combine a few of these: an inspection, sealing, trapping and cleanup. Choose a service to learn more, or call and we will tell you what your property needs.
Residential Rodent ControlAttic, crawl space and elevated-home rat removal for Key West houses, from historic Old Town cottages to raised homes in New Town.Learn More →
Commercial Rodent ControlScheduled service with written visit logs for restaurants and bars on Duval Street, guesthouses, hotels and shops around the island.Learn More →
Rodent RemovalTraps placed on the paths rats use around the property and checked on return visits until the activity stops.Learn More →
Dead Rodent RemovalBad smell in a wall, porch ceiling or under a raised house? We find and remove the dead rodent, then clean and deodorize the area.Learn More →
Rodent CleanupRemoval of droppings, urine and nests from attics and porches, with advice on insulation replacement.Learn More →
Rodent ExterminatorEPA and FDACS certified technicians who use traps indoors and follow product labels around guests, kids and pets.Learn More →
Rodent ExclusionWe seal eaves, roof vents, pier and skirting gaps and garage corners with metal and mortar so rats cannot get back in.Learn More →
Rodent Feces RemovalCareful cleanup of droppings with disinfectant, never sweeping or vacuuming, which can spread germs.Learn More →
Rodent ProofingDoor sweeps, vent screens, pier and skirting sealing and tree trimming advice for Key West properties.Learn More →
Tropical yards
Palms, Mangos and Papayas: The Roof Rat Pantry
The University of Florida lists palm frond skirts as a favorite roof rat nest site. The dead fronds that hang under the crown of a palm stay dry and are hard for predators to reach. From there it is a short jump to a porch roof or a power line.
Roof rats prefer fruit. Mango, papaya, banana, citrus and fig trees are all on the UF/IFAS list, and many Key West yards grow several of them. Fruit that falls and sits on the ground feeds rats every night.
Trimming trees and palms is part of keeping rats out. It works best after the house is sealed, so the rats have nowhere left to go.
Yard steps that help
- Have dead palm fronds cut off and hauled away, not left in a pile.
- Keep branches and fronds at least a few feet from the roof, porch and wires.
- Pick fruit when ripe and pick up fallen fruit every day.
- Sheet metal rat guards 18 to 24 inches wide around a trunk can stop rats from climbing a tree that stands alone.
- Store bird seed, pet food and chicken feed in sealed metal or hard plastic bins.
Source: UF/IFAS Extension, Roof Rats publication UW120.
Bars, kitchens and docks
Commercial Rat Control from Duval Street to the Bight
Duval Street runs about 1.1 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic, lined with bars, restaurants and shops in old buildings that share walls. Cruise visitors walk in from Mallory Square, and the port also includes Key West Bight and Garrison Bight. More people means more food waste, and rats follow it.
In a row of old buildings, rats move through shared walls, ceilings and back alleys. We look at the whole building and its neighbors, not one kitchen, and we leave a written service log after each visit that you can show a state inspector.
See our commercial rodent control page for more.
For restaurants, bars, inns and marinas
- Scheduled visits with written logs
- Locked, numbered bait stations outside, mapped on a site plan
- Door sweeps on back and delivery doors
- Dumpster, grease and storage room checks
- Sealing plans for guest houses with many rooms and shared attics
- Dock, bait shop and boat storage checks near the water
Source: Wikipedia, Key West, Florida (Duval Street, Mallory Square, Port of Key West).
After Irma and Wilma
Storm Damage Opens New Doors for Rats
Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Keys as a Category 4 storm on September 10, 2017, with heavy wind and flood damage in Key West. In 2005, Hurricane Wilma’s surge flooded about 60 percent of Key West homes. The island’s high point, Solares Hill, is only about 18 feet above sea level.
Right after
What storms leave behind
- Lifted metal roof panels and bent flashing
- Torn or missing lattice under raised homes
- Piles of fronds, branches and debris next to the house
- Wet insulation and floors that get torn out and left open
What to check
Before rats find it
- Walk the roofline and look for gaps at the edges and ridge
- Check the lattice and the space under the floor
- Get storm debris away from walls as soon as you can
- Have any repairs closed with metal or hardware cloth, not foam
Source: Wikipedia, Key West, Florida (Hurricane Irma 2017, Hurricane Wilma 2005, Solares Hill).
Trash, history and licenses
Key West Rules That Help Keep Rats Away
A few local and state rules matter when you deal with rats on the island.
Trash
Bag it, close the lid
Key West homes use a 96 gallon green WM cart for weekly trash. Bag all trash, keep the lid shut, set the cart out by 4 a.m. on pickup day and bring it back in the same day.
Historic district
Ask before you change the look
The Key West Historic District covers Old Town, Duval Street and Truman Annex. If sealing work would change how the outside of a historic home looks, check with the city’s Historic Architectural Review Commission (HARC) staff first. Most of our work uses screen, mesh and metal that is hard to see.
State license
Check FDACS
Pest control companies in Florida are licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under Chapter 482, Florida Statutes. Ask for the license number.
Health
Wet cleanup only
The CDC says never sweep or vacuum rat droppings. Spray them with disinfectant or 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, wait 5 minutes and wipe up with paper towels. See rodent cleanup.
Sources: WM, Key West residential service page; Wikipedia, Key West Historic District; Florida Statutes Chapter 482; CDC, cleaning up after rodents.
Primary Key West response zone
Key West service coverage
Is your ZIP on the route?
Key West uses 3 ZIP codes. We cover the whole island and nearby Stock Island. Call if you do not see yours.
330403304133045
Areas we serve
Check my address →
Old Town · Bahama Village · New Town · Casa Marina · The Meadows · Truman Annex · Stock Island
Key West rat questions
What Key West Owners Ask About Rats
From Old Town guest houses to New Town block homes, these are the questions we hear most on the island.
Call (561) 562-7607 →Mostly roof rats, which climb palms, porch posts and wires and live in attics and under floors. Norway rats show up near docks, marinas and dumpsters. House mice are common in kitchens and garages, especially in New Town.
Yes. UF/IFAS lists palm frond skirts as a common roof rat nest. A palm with dead fronds next to the house is often where the rats in the attic sleep. Trim dead fronds and keep the tree away from the roof.
Yes. Most rodent exclusion in Key West uses small pieces of metal, mesh and hardware cloth behind lattice, under eaves and around pipes, where it is hard to see. If a repair would change the look of a historic home, check with HARC staff at the city first.
We look at the whole building, since rats move through shared walls and alleys. Service includes locked bait stations outside, door sweeps, sealing, traps inside and written logs after each visit for state inspections.
Navy family housing at Sigsbee Park, Trumbo Point and Truman Annex is managed through the Navy’s housing partner, so report rats there first. If you rent or own off base anywhere in Key West, call us for an inspection.
Storms like Irma lift roof panels, tear lattice and leave piles of debris, all of which help rats. Any home that had storm repairs should get a full check of the roofline and the space under the floor.
We serve Key West and Stock Island in Monroe County. Call us to ask about your address elsewhere in the Keys, and see the nearby cities listed below.
Key West dispatch is ready
Rats in Your Key West Home or Business?
Call now. We will inspect the property, show you where rodents are getting in, and seal it so they stay out.
Request Key West service
Give us a call. We’ll handle the next step.
Call us, tell us what you are seeing and where you are located, and our team will confirm the right appointment type and timing.
Serving Key WestKey West, Florida(561) 562-7607Open 24 hours · 7 days a week
